Human rights film festival to tour Taiwan from September

11 international films selected for screening in Taipei, Kaohsiung

The Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival will kick off in September (Source: CNA)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Through the screening of 11 international films, the Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival aims to promote discussion of human rights issues faced by contemporary Taiwanese society and the international community.

The film festival, which is organized by the National Human Rights Museum (NHRM), will first kick off in Taipei from Sept. 6 to 8 at SPOT Huashan cinema. It will then move south to the Kaohsiung Film Archive from Sept. 17 to 25.

Through the films at the festival, we hope to present to audiences corruption in a democratic system, from hidden and obscure rules to acquiescence or even complicity in wrongdoings, remarked NHRM Director Chen Jung-hong (陳俊宏) at a press conference held on Friday (August 23). This will help viewers understand the meaning of oppression and thus urge the public to look for ways to improve our society, added Chen.

The film festival committee has selected 11 films from multiple countries and regions, including Hong Kong. “The city is facing unprecedented challenges,” said Chen. With films touching on Hong Kong politics and cross-strait relations, spectators will be able to contemplate the issue themselves or exchange ideas with others, he added.

Other film selections explore such topics as cross-border refugees, the various meanings of justice as perceived by different generations, and oppression in a society with the rule of law, among others.

In order to further expand human rights education in Taiwan, the film festival is planning to collaborate with schools, organizations, and local communities to host additional screenings from October. Director Huang Shu-mei (黃淑梅), who leads the festival, said the objective is to foster an awareness of human rights so that the values can become part of people’s lives, even in remote areas.